Handmade metalware from a home workshop

Gift buyers, home decorators and cooks, mostly through online marketplaces, your own website, craft fairs and a few independent shops.

You sell finished pieces at a price that covers materials and your time. Small wholesale orders from local shops can add steady extra sales.

• Basic metalworking such as cutting, shaping, welding or forging
• An eye for design and finish
• Photographing and describing your products
• Costing your time properly

• Check your lease, mortgage terms or council rules before running noisy or fume-producing work from home
• Check your home insurance covers tools, stock and business use, and consider product liability insurance
• Fire risk from grinding, welding and metal dust: keep the workshop safe and wear proper protective kit
• Items that touch food need safe materials and finishes, so check the food contact rules
• Check any rules on selling sharp items, and rules on hallmarking if you ever work in precious metals
• Register as a sole trader with HMRC once you start trading

Estimated startup costs are typically around £1,000 to £5,000, depending on your tools, materials and safety kit. Check your home insurance covers tools, stock and business use, and consider product liability insurance.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around £500 to £2,500, depending on what you make, your pricing and where you sell. Costing your time properly matters, since revenue is not the same as profit.

Check your lease, mortgage terms or council rules before running noisy or fume-producing work at home. Also check fire risk and protective kit, food contact rules for kitchen items, rules on selling sharp items, and registering as a sole trader with HMRC.